Field studies of pollutant removal from nursery and greenhouse runoff by constructed wetlands.

Plant nursery runoff commonly contains pesticides and nutrients that often threaten aquatic ecosystems. Constructed wetlands could be a tool to remove pesticides and nutrients from nursery runoff but have not been extensively studied in this setting. Two field-scale constructed wetlands (one subsurface-flow constructed wetland [SFCW] and one free-surface constructed wetland [FSCW]) were implemented and monitored for water quality improvement. The SFCW demonstrated significant mass reduction of 78% or greater for nitrate, orthophosphate, total nitrogen, total phosphorus, and total suspended solids. The SFCW also demonstrated significant mass reduction of 79% or greater for 10 of the 12 pesticide compounds detected in over half of the collected samples. The FSCW demonstrated significant mass reduction of 46% or greater for all nonpesticide analytes except total nitrogen. Loading rate and actual storage volume compared with inflow volume likely affected performance. Reduced size and increased loading rate of the FSCW likely reduced its ability to effectively reduce pesticides. Results from this study indicate that constructed wetlands are likely an effective tool for nursery runoff management. When designing and implementing constructed wetlands, it is important for practitioners to consider the tradeoff between system size (additional cost and land otherwise dedicated to production) and performance.

Subsurface transport of phosphorus in riparian floodplains: influence of preferential flow paths.

For phosphorus (P) transport from upland areas to surface water systems, the primary transport mechanism is typically considered to be surface runoff with subsurface transport assumed negligible. However, certain local conditions can lead to an environment where subsurface transport may be significant. The objective of this research was to determine the potential of subsurface transport of P along streams characterized by cherty or gravel subsoils, especially the impact of preferential flow paths on P transport. At a field site along the Barren Fork Creek in northeastern Oklahoma, a trench was installed with the bottom at the topsoil/alluvial gravel interface. Fifteen piezometers were installed surrounding the trench to monitor flow and transport. In three experiments, water was pumped into the trench from the Barren Fork Creek to maintain a constant head. At the same time, a conservative tracer (Rhodamine WT) and/or potassium phosphate solution were injected into the trench at concentrations at 3 and 100 mg/L for Rhodamine WT and at 100 mg/L for P. Laboratory flow-cell experiments were also conducted on soil material <2 mm in size to determine the effect that flow velocity had on P sorption. Rhodamine WT and P were detected in some piezometers at equivalent concentrations as measured in the trench, suggesting the presence of preferential flow pathways and heterogeneous interaction between streams and subsurface transport pathways, even in nonstructured, coarse gravel soils. Phosphorus transport was retarded in nonpreferential flow paths. Breakthrough times were approximately equivalent for Rhodamine WT and P suggesting no colloidal-facilitated P transport. Results from laboratory flow-cell experiments suggested that higher velocity resulted in less P sorption for the alluvial subsoil. Therefore, differences in flow rates between preferential and nonpreferential flow pathways in the field led to variable sorption. The potential for nutrient subsurface transport shown by this alluvial system has implications regarding management of similar riparian floodplain systems.

Fly-ash-amended sand as filter media in bioretention cells to improve phosphorus removal.

This study identified material with high phosphorus sorption suitable for bioretention filter media. Materials examined were fly ash, two expanded shales, peat moss, limestone, and two common Oklahoma soils--Teller loam and Dougherty sand. The peat moss was a phosphorus source, while the two soils, limestone, and one expanded shale had only modest sorption capacity. One expanded shale and the fly ash had significant phosphorus sorption. Fly ash is unsuitable for use in a pure form, as a result of its low permeability, but phosphorus sorption on the sand was increased significantly with the incorporation of small amounts of fly ash. Column leaching experiments found that the sand with 2.5 and 5% fly ash and the better expanded shale had linear, non-equilibrium transport retardation factors of 272, 1618, and 185, with first-order rate coefficients of 0.153, 0.0752, and 0.113 hour(-1), respectively. Desorption experiments showed that the phosphorus sorption on the sand/fly ash mixture is largely nonreversible. Transport simulation assuming a 1-m-deep sand/fly ash treatment layer, with 5% of the watershed area, showed that the sand/fly ash filter media could effectively treat 1 mg/L influent for 12 years in a paved watershed and 34 years in a grassed watershed before exceeding Oklahoma's scenic rivers' phosphorus criterion of 0.037 mg/L. Significant phosphorus removal would continue for over 100 years.